Linsanity in Houston: Lin’s top five moments with the Rockets

Jeremy Lin's best scoring game as a Rocket came against the rival Spurs. (James Nielsen/Chronicle)

It was a year ago that Linsanity struck New York with Jeremy Lin’s smashing NBA debut. This season, after signing a big deal with the Rockets, Lin hasn’t always reached the same magic but he has had his moments. A high five:

Dec. 17: Rockets 109, Knicks 96
In his return to Madison Square Garden, Lin scored 22 points and had eight assists in an easy win for the Rockets. It was only the third time that Lin ha scored more than 20 points as a Rocket. “It was great to be back and it was a lot of fun to play on that court again,” Lin said.

Dec. 25: Rockets 120, Bulls 97
On Christmas Day and in the spotlight of national TV, Lin went for 20 points and 11 assists. It was his second consecutive game with 11 assists as the Rockets won big over contenders Memphis and Chicago. “It’s a good example of what we can do,” Lin said.

Nov. 2: Rockets 109, Hawks 102
In just the second game of the season, Lin was three assists shy of a triple double as he scored 21 and added 10 rebounds. “This is a resilient group. You saw our youth today. We had a 14-point lead and gave it back and we kept getting leads and giving it back. Great teams don’t do that but I’m just glad we stuck it out,” Lin said.

Dec. 10: Spurs 134, Rockets 126
With James Harden on the bench with an ankle injury, Lin took over the scoring role with a season-high 38 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. He also had seven assists. It wasn’t quite enough as the Rockets lost a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Jan. 25: Rockets 100, Hornets 82
Lin matched his season best with six steals as the Rockets won for only the second time in their last 10 games. Lin had 13 points and eight assists as well.